1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus and a method of forming a preform.
2. Description of the Related Art
Manufacturing preforms, such as ceramic preforms, are known in industry. However, current methods for manufacturing ceramic preforms are accomplished through a manual batch mixing process and then manual formation of the desired configuration. Traditionally, preforms shaped as a cylinder are hand formed from a composition. A metal wire is disposed about the preform for strengthening the preform. More specifically, the composition used to produce the preform does not meet the strength requirements for the final preform. As such, the metal wire is required to add strength to the final preform. Preforms having the metal wire as discussed above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,458.
Therefore, there remains an opportunity to develop a manufacturing apparatus and a method of forming a preform.